However, benchmark workouts are a regular part of CrossFit programming and serve as an excellent measure of fitness performance when they’re included periodically and irregularly in programming.

The benchmarks are named after women and are often referred to as the CrossFit girls. In an article published by the CrossFit Journal in 2003, Founder Greg Glassman tells us he drew inspiration from the National Weather Service using short, distinctive female names to name storms when titling the workouts.

“This convenience and logic inspired our granting a special group of workouts women’s names, but anything that leaves you flat on your back and incapacitated only to lure you back for more at a later date certainly deserves naming.” – Greg Glassman

So in case you didn’t know, Mr. Glassman is a bit of a cheeky guy, but hey, we’re not going to argue his logic.

Since the inception of the original six CrossFit girls, which Glassman said are known for “their magnificent capacity to root out weaknesses and humiliate you with them,” the list has grown to a whooping 21 WODs, all of which test your fitness, your stamina and your mental fortitude every step of the way.

Every one of the CrossFit girls workouts will touch on at least one of the 10 components of fitness, in this article we take a look at the CrossFit girls and discuss how they can help to build and measure specific components.

Introducing the CrossFit Girls

Angie

Brandy is 34 years old and has been doing CrossFit for almost a year. “My favorite part is the sense of community,” she said. “Everyone there is working towards some personal goal, but it’s not an individual struggle.”

Tests: Endurance, Stamina, Speed

“Angie”
For Time

100 pull ups
100 push ups
100 sit ups
100 squats

Don’t let this saucy devil fool you — just because the moves are all gymnastic or bodyweight-based, doesn’t mean it’s “easy” by any stretch of the imagination.

To put Angie into perspective, the WOD takes most athletes 20 to 30 minutes. You’re in the zone the whole time. What zone? The worst one — the cardio endurance zone. Because athletes can string these movements together into longer and continuous sets, your heart rate will stay elevated through the entire duration of the workout.

Pull ups tend to be the limiting factor for every almost athlete who sets up to complete Angie. With every movement, your stamina, or the ability to do the same movement utilizing the same muscles over and over and over again, will be tested.

By utilizing bodyweight movements, you also have the opportunity to test your speed. The faster you move, the faster you’re done.

This workout is truly one every athlete can attempt. To scale this workout, try doing ring rows or band-assisted pull up instead. Push ups can be scaled with a band or by going to your knees.

Annie

“I never though I would look forward to exercising, but I do,” Anna said. “The WODs are tough, but my body/mind feel so much better.” Anna is 43 and started CrossFitting three months ago.

Tests: Speed, Coordination, Endurance, Power

“Annie”
For Time

50-40-30-20-10
Double unders
Sit ups

Your abs should be prepared for total domination. This WOD is relatively short and sweet, but prepare to feel the burn.

This type of workout is all mental — you do the majority of the work in the first round. Just when you feel like your mid-section is about to cave in, it’s time to jump up and nail some double unders. Just when you feel like your lungs are going to collapse, it’s time to lay back down and catch your breath while doing sit ups.

It’s a nasty one, but it’s a goodie. Depending on your skill level, expect a time anywhere from three to 12 minutes.

Barbara

Heather, 44, has been doing CrossFit for about four years. “I’ve tried all different types of exercise and this is the only one that has truly made me feel healthier and stronger,” she said.

Tests: Agility, Strength, Stamina

“Barbara”
For Time

5 rounds
20 pull ups
30 push ups
40 sit ups
50 squats
Rest 3 minutes

For a bodyweight burner with a short break in between, give Barbara a try! She’s a great on-the-go WOD as the only piece of equipment you need is something to pull up on.

Barbara is one of many girl WODs that underscores the importance of pull ups. They will most likely be the most difficult part of the workout for most athletes even though there are less pull up reps than any other movement. Get your lats ready to move!

Chelsea

Tests: Endurance, Stamina,

“Chelsea”
30 minute EMOM

5 pull ups
10 push ups
15 squats

Chelsea is Cindy’s evil twin sister — the exact same workout, just longer. This means pace is ultra important. You should be moving at a speed you can maintain for thirty minutes without having to take significant breaks in order to get the full effect.

Remember that the pull ups will most likely be the most difficult aspect of this workout despite the fact that there are only five in each round. The rep counts may seem low, but in turn that means that you can knock out lots and lots of rounds in 30 minutes. In short, you’re going to be tired, but keep moving.

Cindy

Leigh is 38 years old. She’s been doing CrossFit for over four years and describes herself as “still obsessed.” “My favorite PR is a recent one, my clean and jerk,” she said. “I hit 120 pounds. It’s a meaningful PR. I broke my wrist three years ago trying to hit a bodyweight clean at 115 pounds. It was a debilitating injury — it resulted in one of my bones dying and required and bone graft in order to be able to use it again. I could not lift anything for a solid 18 months. Once I was released and begin lifting again, it was difficult and excruciating to put 10 pounds over my head. But now another 18 months later, having learned invaluable lessons, I’m stronger….spiritually, mentally and physically.”

Tests: Agility, Stamina, Speed

“Cindy”
20 minute AMRAP

5 pull ups
10 push ups
15 squats

Cindy can sneak up on you. Her low rep counts and low-impact movements mean you easily knock out a round or more a minute, depending on your skill level. This WOD is purely about moving your bodyweight over and over again. Like Barbara, Angie and Chelsea, this workout is all about the pull ups.

You should set a pace that you can keep up for the entirety of the AMRAP and your breaks should be few and far between.

Diane

“I have a lot of favorite PRs, but every time I climb that rope I amaze myself!” Jamie, 39, said.

Tests: Strength, Speed and Power

“Diane”
For Time

21-15-9
3 rounds
Deadlifts (225 pounds)
Handstand push ups

Diane is a nasty combination of gymnastics and weight lifting. The good news is that the movements complement one another — lots of HEAVY pulls followed by body weight pushes. The bad news is that your shoulders may just fall off towards the end.

This WOD should be quick — you should be able to complete all the movements in under ten minutes, so scale your deadlifts accordingly.

Elizabeth

“I often tell people that the gym is my space to just be Erin, not mama, or wife, or professor,” Erin, 32, said. “It’s a safe space where I can have no other worries for at least an hour. CrossFit supports my mental health just as much as my physical health. Even though I may only go two or three times a week, those times are sacred.”

Tests: Strength, Power, Endurance and Agility

“Elizabeth”
For Time

21-15-9
3 rounds
Cleans (135 pounds)
Ring dips

Elizabeth and Diane have many similarities in that they both combine heavy weight lifting with gymnastic movements. Similar to Diane, you will also find that the cleans and ring dips complement each other — you will pull and then push.

Your chest and shoulders will be fried after this WOD. According to the CrossFit Journal, the beauty in Elizabeth, Diane and Fran is that people who excel at moving the weight loads will most likely struggle with the bodyweight movements and vice versa. This means that all three of these girl WODs will bring everyone from beginners to CrossFit pros to their knees.

Eva

Rachel is 26 and has been doing CrossFit for two years. “My favorite PR is running a mile without stopping,” she said. “Running is hard physically for me, but the mental game is even harder. I didn’t believe I could do it, but my friend Mandy pushed me every step of the way. By the time we finished, I was exhausted, shocked and so proud of what I’d accomplished.

Tests: Stamina, Strength, Speed, Endurance

“Eva”
For Time

5 rounds
Run 800 meters
30 kettlebell swings (2 pood)
30 pull ups

Ready for your lungs to be on fire? Eva is a feisty girl and a lung scorcher for sure. The heavy kettlebell swings ensure that your shoulders will be nice and roasted before you even get to the pull ups.

Not only is she tough, but Eva is a long WOD. A great time is anywhere from 35 to 45 minutes. The keys to success? Pace yourself accordingly and catch your breath on the run.

Fran

Brooke, 20, has been doing CrossFit for almost a year now. “It’s important to keep going,” she said. “There were times when I had thought that I wasn’t cut out for CrossFit, but I proved myself wrong each time. If anything, I want people to know that it is possible to achieve your goals. You just have to persevere, and keep pushing your limits.”

Tests: Power, Stamina and Speed

“Fran”
21-15-9

Thrusters (95/65 pounds)
Pull ups

Ah Fran. This little lady can strike fear into the hearts of even the bravest men. Since her creation, CrossFit has been kind enough to develop mutant versions that make us feel a bit pukey just reading about them, like Frantasy Land, but the truth is Fran all by herself is one tough cookie.

While not actually an Olympic movement, the thruster tests your power and stamina in a dynamic couplet. Athletes who are able to focus on being explosive out of the squat and thrust the bar over head enjoy some of the fastest recorded times in this event.

Stamina comes into play during the the 15-rep part of this WOD scheme, which many athletes claim is the hardest. Like Angie, speed is important in this workout, but in a different way. Some of the fastest Fran times are in the 2 minute range, and done right this workout can be over in a blink. Fran is more of an all-out effort, where athletes gun as fast and hard as they can to get through the work.

Give it a try. Scale the weight if needed, and considering using bands or ring rows if you don’t yet have pull ups. She’s a puking good time, this gal.

Grace

“Other than the camaraderie that is unlike any other sport that I’ve been apart of, CrossFit is a type of exercise that you leave everything out on the floor,” Jenn said. “I love knowing that when I leave the gym I’ve given all I had in the workout. I tried the ‘globo gym’ workout, which is fine for some, but would wander around trying to figure out what to do next. I love coming to my box, having my workout posted with prescribed weight and battling with myself to complete the workout.” Jenn is 34. She has been CrossFitting for three years now.

Tests: Stamina, Endurance, Speed, Power

“Grace”
For Time

30 Clean and Jerks (135/95 pounds)

Grace is longwinded, but fun. The weight is heavy, but not impossible by any stretch of the imagination.

With Grace, managing your rest time is extremely important. You can eat up so much time in this WOD trying to catch your breath or avoiding putting the bar over your head. Remember to keep a tight core and to wear a weight belt to keep from compensating with your lower back as you get fatigued.

Ideally, this should be a FAST workout, taking anywhere from two and a half to five minutes. If you don’t feel that time frame is an achievable goal, drop your weight — this WOD is meant to be a showcase of speed and power.

Helen

Cat, 29, started doing CrossFit almost a year ago. “One of my favorite aspects of CrossFit, besides the environment, would have to be the coaches,” she said. “The coaches understand not everyone is built the same or has the same athletic ability. The workouts can be scaled down to where anyone can do them, and the coaches support you whether you are doing everything RX or scaled.”

Tests: Cardiovascular Endurance, Strength, Agility and Speed

“Helen””
For Time

3 rounds
400 meter run
21 kettlebell swings (1.5 pood)
12 pull ups

If not being able to breath and smoked shoulders sounds like a good time to you, then Helen is your girl.

A good score for a reasonably fit athlete is somewhere between 10 and 12 minutes, although athletes have posted scores as fast as seven and eight minutes.

Regardless of your time, the point is that this WOD should be quick. If you can’t complete it in under 18 minutes, you should consider scaling as appropriate.

Isabel

Sammy is 15 and celebrating her one year CrossFit-aversary. “I love how everything in CrossFit works together to ultimately make you a better athlete,” she said. “And the community of people in CrossFit help to motivate everyone to reach that goal of being the best they can be.”

Tests: Strength, Stamina, Power, Speed

“Isabel”
For Time

30 snatches (135/95 pounds)

Isabel is quick and nasty. As a female, snatching 95 pounds 30 times is quite a feat unless you’re Brooke Ence, so scale your weight to a point where you can move it quickly without taking long breaks.

A good score can fall anywhere in the two to 6 minute range. If you’re extra elite, you can try to beat the world record, which is under a minute. Yikes!

Jackie

“My favorite PRs are when I can finally do a movement that I struggled with for so long like getting that first pull up, or stringing together double unders,” Kimmy said. “It’s much more satisfying than when I hit PRs on movements that come natural to me.” Kimmy, 34, has been doing CrossFit for about a year and a half.

Tests: Power and Speed

“Jackie”
For Time

Row 1000 meters
50 thrusters (45 pounds)
30 pull ups

Jackie is quick and nasty, incorporating lots of pushing and pulling. The thrusters are light weight, but don’t let your guard down. The high rep count immediately after the 1000-meter row means you’ll be struggling to breathe by the end of it.

If you’re in ideal shape, you should be able to complete Jackie with a sub-ten minute time. Because you’re rowing for meters and not calories, conserve energy in the beginning and incorporate power and speed with the thrusters and pull ups.

Karen

Jessica, 33, has been doing CrossFit for two years. “My favorite part of CrossFit is feeling how hard you worked at the end of the WOD,” she said. “Its a good feeling seeing how you become stronger and your body shapes up little by little.”

If you’ve never smacked yourself in the face with a wall ball, be prepared for a dose of that kind of fun.

Accuracy is of paramount importance in this workout. While it certainly tests your speed, endurance and stamina as well, it’s only an accuracy error that will get you a “no rep.” After doing 150 of these babies, no one wants to have to do 151 to be done with the workout.

Kelly

Morgan is 45 and has been doing CrossFit for almost eight months now. Her favorite part of CrossFit is her boxmates. “I guess I like that (they) didn’t let me quit,” she said. “It’s hard to quit when everyone is so nice, genuinely helpful and invested in you.” Morgan recently hit a 245-pound deadlift PR and can now run long distances, something she was unable to do before.

Kelly is a brute among even some of the nastiest WODs. You know it’s a bad WOD when you catch your breath during the run. With that being said, your legs will hurt and your lungs will probably bleed, or something similarly dramatic.

Your ability to succeed in this workout depends on a few things. First of all, a great pace is important as Kelly is a longer WOD. Second of all, you have to be able to keep moving, meaning your endurance is definitely going to the come into play. Lastly, you need to be able to survive in the pain cave during this WOD. After you’ve run over a mile and done over 100 wall balls, your legs are going to start to feel like jelly — dig deeper and finish strong.

Linda

Kayla is 24 and starting her third month of CrossFit. “I like it because it’s individual work but also a team effort,” she said.

Tests: Strength and Stamina

“Linda”

Deadlift 1.5 times Bodyweight
Bench bodyweight
Clean 3/4 bodyweight

For 10/9/8/7/6/5/4/3/2/1 rep rounds for time

Linda is for the guys and gals who love a good “bro sesh,” and who don’t want to be able to move tomorrow.

The focus of this gal is all on strength. In Linda, you’re moving weight in relation to your body weight, making this ideal for measuring strength capacity in every athlete.

The descending rep scheme might look appealing, but trust me, the set of 2 is just as hard as the set of 10.

Obviously, newer athletes will need to work towards the RX weight. Begin at a percentage of bodyweight that you can move comfortably 10 times, and try again with more weight in six to eight weeks.

Be sure to have a spotter or two on hand for this workout, as it can really get gnarly and you might need the help.

Lynne

“I enjoy the community of CrossFit, but also the independence I have with it,” Alena, 29, said. “Independence meaning that I’m in charge of my own success and improvement. I wont know if I can’t do something unless I try it!”

Tests: Strength and Stamina

“Lynne”
5 rounds for max reps

Bodyweight bench press
Pull ups

Lynne is another one where it would be a great idea — no, a necessity — to have an experienced spotter while you’re doing your bench press.

Lynne is a hybrid of Linda and pretty much any other girl WOD, seeing as pull ups have a dominant appearance in more than 50 percent of the girl WODs.

Your score will be the total number of bench presses and pull ups you do each round at the end of the fifth round.

Mary

Amanda, affectionately called Nana by her boxmates, is 22 and has been doing CrossFit for almost a year. “I enjoy the gymnastic movements more than any other part of CrossFit, which is probably due to my cheerleading background,” she said. “Getting my first pull up has been my favorite PR so far.”

Tests: Endurance, Balance and Coordination

“Mary”
20 minute AMRAP

5 handstand push ups
10 pistols, alternating legs
15 pull ups

First, you’ll go way up and then you’ll go way down. Mary is quite the rollercoaster ride. This nasty combination of gymnastic and body weight movements will leave you with quivering quads and lats for days.

Nancy

“I am 34 years old and getting younger everyday,” Nikki said. “I’ve been attempting CrossFit for just over 3 years now. My favorite part is watching myself and others get better everyday. I love celebrating each other’s accomplishments. Everyone is there to celebrate and cheer you on. It’s the CrossFit community that keeps me coming back for more.”

Tests: Endurance, Agility and Speed

“Nancy”
For Time

5 rounds
Run 400 meters
15 overhead squats (95 pounds)

Hello Jello legs! To succeed in Nancy, you’ve got to have a great pace and take short breaks. You want to transition between movements quickly.

These overhead squats are pretty heavy for women and moderately heavy for men, so strategize how you’re going to break them up and stick to your rep scheme. It takes a lot of effort to set up for an overhead squat — either a snatch or a clean and jerk, depending on your strength — so drop the bar only when necessary.

Nicole

“The CrossFit family atmosphere allows for people of all ages, sizes, and abilities to come together and workout in harmony,” Liz, 32, said. “I love the support I get from my fellow athletes, and I especially love supporting and motivating them in return.”

Tests: Endurance and Strength

“Nicole”

20 minute AMRAP

Run 400 meters
Max rep pull ups

Have you noticed a pattern yet? CrossFit HQ LOVES pull ups. This WOD actually looks pretty tame compared to many of its counterparts, but the trick is all in the first word on the second line — max. When you max out your pull ups in Nicole, you should be going all in — hands tearing, shoulders screaming-type of maxing out. That’s what makes this workout a true test.

The interesting thing about this WOD is that the run doesn’t count towards your scoring. Your total will be the number of pull ups you were able to complete in 20 minutes, so keep that in mind when deciding where to break and how to pace yourself.

With any benchmark workout, make sure you record your time, weights used, and any other details (such as ring rows, or the color band you used with pull ups) every time you do it. Keep these mixed into your regular training, and between these tests, be sure to incorporate daily workouts that will help you improve in the ten key areas of fitness.

You’ll be setting PRs and raising the bar on your goals in no time!

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Meet the CrossFit Girls

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Have you ever heard of the CrossFit girls? If not, we're here to help you get acquainted with some of the most brutal, but necessary, benchmark workouts used to measure progress in CrossFit.

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[…] When it comes to tracking workouts, CrossFit is kind of a different animal. Not only do you need to keep track of your daily WODs, lifts, and PRs, but you’ll also want one place to find all of your times and scaling on the big benchmark workouts (can we say Fran?) […]

[…] Meet the CrossFit Girls – The benchmarks are named after women and are often referred to as the CrossFit girls … workout is all about the pull ups. You should set a pace that you can keep up for the entirety of the AMRAP and your breaks should be few and far … […]